Bug

I looked in the mirror and a pair of mismatched crystalline eyes gazed back out at me. I also noted the new glittery blue streaks infusing my hair. Whatever was going on was definitely getting worse. Not to mention the omnipresent tremors and headaches — at least those I could hide.

Desperate times, desperate measures. "Jareth, I need you."

A second pair of mismatched crystalline eyes was suddenly gazing back from the mirror. They widened as they surveyed mine. And then the bastard had the nerve to laugh. "I see why you finally called."

I whirled on him. "What the hell is this?"

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I'd say a clear fashion improvement."

I rolled my eyes. "Did you do this?"

"I can safely say this isn't my handiwork."

"But you know whose it is."

"It seems you've picked up a certain...malady endemic to the Labyrinth."

I blinked at him. "This is some kind of faerie flu?" I stared at him for a moment. "That's long-lasting? How long have you had it? It's been years since I saw you and you're still—"

He held up a hand. "Not exactly. It's more...a symbiote."

"Jareth, what the hell is in me? Jesus, in us?"

"Calm yourself, Sarah. Anyone who spends enough time in the Labyrinth eventually picks it up."

I felt my head shaking back and forth. "You're telling me I'm infected with a Labyrinth parasite."

"More or less. A very beneficial one, though, at least for humans." He gestured to himself. "As you can see."

"You...how long have you had it?"

"Oh, at least two centuries by now. One benefit is longevity. The symbiote repairs human tissues effortlessly."

I swallowed. "What else does it do?"

"To us? Well, any latent magical abilities should start picking up, especially if you do the sensible thing and reside in the Labyrinth."

"And if I don't?"

He grimaced. "I wouldn't recommend that. Withdrawal symptoms. Bad ones. You're already feeling some of them now, I'm sure."

I looked at my hand, with that damned tremor. "What does it take from us?"

"As best I've been able to work out, the symbiote subsists on some of our...neural effluvia. But it prefers the type we emit while in the Labyrinth. Hence, it makes its displeasure known when we're away."

"Jareth, this is just...I refuse to accept this."

That shocked a laugh from him. "Sarah, this isn't a case where strength of will is going to overcome. Unacceptable or not, it's in you and I suggest you adapt. It's really not so bad." He grinned. "I make an excellent castlemate, for instance, if you're looking for residence options." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, dear god." I covered my face with my trembling hands. "This is some kind of cosmic joke, isn't it?"

A surprisingly gentle hand touched my shoulder. "Maybe so. But I can help. If you'll let me."

I took a slow breath. "Well, what choice have I got, right?"

"Precisely."